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 Wellington
Arch, or Constitution Arch, was designed by Decimus Burton,
and erected in 1828 as a memorial to Sir Arthur Wellsley,
1st Duke of Wellington, soldier and Prime Minister.
The archway, crowned by a giant
statue of the Duke astride a horse, originally stood as a
grand entrance to London. However, in 1882, as part
of a road widening scheme, the arch was moved to its current
home at Hyde Park Corner , and now stands in a huge traffic
island.
The statue of Wellington was
removed at the same time and in 1912 was replaced by immense
bronze sculpture, 'Quadriga', by Adrian Jones. This
is the largest bronze sculpture in England and before it was
installed Jones held a party in which eight guests were seated
for dinner in the hollow, boat-shaped body of one of the horses!
Since 1999 the Wellington Arch
has been in the care of English Heritage and the building
has now been restored and opened to the public for the first
time.
Inside there are three floors
of exhibits detailing the history of the arch and some of
its uses. Until 1992 the arch housed London's second
smallest police station, the smallest is located in Trafalgar
Square.
From the balcony there are good
views of the London
Eye, Houses
of Parliament and Buckingham
Palace.
Because of its position at the
top of Constitution Hill, Wellington Arch is sometimes referred
to as Constitution Arch.
Admission charge
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